Foreman Wants To Fight Again

August 31, 1986|By Rich Lorenz.

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, who retired from boxing in 1977, says he is back in training and plans to resume his career in November. Foreman, 37, said he is running six miles a day and sparring at his Marshall, Tex., ranch under the guidance of trainer Charley Snipes. He also may be assisted by Archie Moore.

``I never had any desire to box again until the summer of `84 when I boxed in an exhibition in Fort Benning, Ga.,`` said Foreman, who became a Houston minister after his retirement. ``I was surprised at how strong I felt in the ring, and I`ve been thinking of coming back ever since.`` Foreman said he weighs 270 pounds, but ``that`s not as bad as it sounds. Between fights in my prime I was always 250 to 255. I`m not worried about my weight. When it comes time for my first bout, I`ll be down around 220.``

VUCKOVICH BACK WITH BREWERS

Former Cy Young Award winner Pete Vuckovich, attempting a comeback after several years with shoulder problems, will rejoin the Milwaukee Brewers Monday. Vuckovich, 33, will start Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.

SIU-EDWARDSVILLE FORFEITS 8

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville has forfeited 8 of its 23 basketball victories last season because forward-center Anthony Webster was taking only eight hours during one quarter last winter. NCAA rules require that an athlete carry 12 hours to maintain eligibilty.

-- Another Utah Jazz draft pick has decided that Europe is better than Salt Lake City. Center Bill Breeding of Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., told Jazz officials he`ll play in Europe this year.

The third-round pick hasn`t signed with a specific team, but it`ll be in either France or Italy. Breeding is the fourth Jazz rookie to opt for Europe. Fourth-rounder Marty Embry of De Paul, sixth-rounder Chuck Everson of Villanova and third-rounder John Shasky of Minnesota have announced that they would play in Europe.

ANDRETTI ON POLE

Mario Andretti outdueled Danny Sullivan to win the pole position for Sunday`s Escort Radar Warning 200 Indy-car race in Lexington, Ohio. Andretti, driving a Cosworth-powered Lola, ran a lap at an average speed of 113.331 miles an hour. Sullivan averaged 113.262 m.p.h. Desire Wilson became the first woman to qualify for an Indy-car race since she ran eight events in 1983. She qualified 23d.

2 WORLD RECORDS FALL

Soviets Yuri Sedykh and Marina Stepanova set world records and Italian Gelindo Bordin won the men`s marathon at the European Track and Field Championships in Stuttgart, West Germany. Sedykh bettered his mark in the hammer throw with a heave of 284 feet 7 inches. Stepanova won the women`s 400- meter hurdles in 53.32 seconds. Bordin won the marathon in 2:10:54.

ST. LOUIS STADIUM PLAN

Mayor Vincent Schoemehl Jr. has unveiled a study on the feasibility of an indoor sports and convention facility in St. Louis. The facility would be built next to the Cervantes Convention Center on the northern edge of downtown St. Louis. According to the study, the city would have to purchase $20 million worth of land for the 340,000-square-foot expansion. The estimated construction cost is $160 million. The building would be topped by a permanent flat roof rather than an inflatable dome. It would serve as a 70,000-seat football stadium, a 10,000- to 30,000-seat arena and a 5,000- to 10,000-seat theater.

SAYONARA, JAPAN

Maverick golfer Mac O`Grady says his plans to play in two tournaments in Japan have been scratched. ``The Japanese may feel they will lose face because I`m in a suspension period by the commissioner`s office,`` O`Grady said. He said he had planned to play in the Chiba Pre Secture Suntory Open, then head on to the Jun Classic, both in September. The invitation to play is still extended, but apparently plans for the Japanese to pay for his expenses have been changed. ``They told me they have already extended their budget. That`s just not true,`` O`Grady said.

CHICO AND THE MAN

Will the real Chico Vaughn please stand up? The former pro basketball player, now living in Cairo, Ill., says a Toledo man is using his name. Vaughn has worked with disadvantaged youths since he retired from basketball about 10 years ago. The Toledo Vaughn, who sponsors basketball clinics and works with youngsters and the handicapped, says he retired from the game about the same time. The real Chico Vaughn holds scoring records set from 1958 to 1962 at Southern Illinois, and played for the St. Louis Hawks and the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. ``I`m well known here,`` the Illinois man said. ``I played high school basketball and college basketball in Illinois.`` The Toledo Vaughn said he played high school basketball in Lima, Ohio, and was drafted into the NBA after attending Ohio State and Southern Illinois. He said he later attended Alabama A&M, but that school has no record of him. School records in Lima show a Cleo Vaughn played basketball there.